June 20, 2008 - In 2006, Mayor White made a public safety commitment to the citizens of Houston to increase the number of police officers patrolling our streets. The goal was to increase the number of officers to the 5,000 mark, a number not seen since 2005. With the support of City Council approving seven cadet classes for FY2008, Police Chief Harold Hurtt set in place a major recruiting effort to seek out qualified men and women from across our city, state, and nation.

We are pleased to announce that with the graduation of 63 new officers from Cadet Class 196, the city of Houston has reached its goal of surpassing the 5,000 mark. The current number of officers now stands at 5,044. The 63 new officers will be added to patrol stations across the city and hit the streets patrolling our neighborhoods. And the noteworthy item is that we will stay above that number from this point forward. City Council has approved seven cadet classes for FY2009 and the number of police officers for Houston will continue to grow.

"Public safety is still our No. 1 priority and Houston has one of the most professional, most well-trained and educated police forces in the country," said Mayor White. "We work hard every day to strengthen our police force, through recruitment, use of overtime and partnership with retired officers. We remain committed to providing the Houston Police Department the resources it needs to make Houstonians safer."

“I want to thank Mayor White and City Council for their support of providing the resources to hire more officers and placing public safety as a priority,” said Chief Hurtt.

For additional
information, please contact the HPD Public Affairs Division at 713-308-3200.